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Table of Contents
Schedule………...3
Welcome………..…4
Key to Abstract Numbers………...…..5
Abstracts Business……….…………..7
Education……….…………8
Engineering and Applied Science………...10
Letters, Arts and Sciences………...18
Nursing and Health Sciences………...………..30
Public Affairs………...….…….34
NISSSC Institute………36
Index of Authors………40
Featured Speakers………..44
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Mountain Lion Research Day 2011 Schedule
Presenter Registration
7:30-8:30 A.M.
Posters are available for
viewing all morning
Poster presentations
8:30-11:30 A.M.
Featured Speaker
9:00-9:15 A.M.
Catherine Kaukinen,
Public Affairs
Featured Speaker
10:00-10:15 A.M.
Andrew Subudhi,
Biology
Featured Speaker
11:00-11:15 A.M.
Greg Plett, Electrical and
Computer Engineering
Luncheon
Welcome
11:45 A.M.
Provost Peg Bacon
Keynote speaker
11:50 A.M.-12:30 P.M.
John F. Ryan, Partner
ONSET Ventures
Menlo Park, California
3rd Annual Mountain Lion Research Day
Dear Friends and Colleagues:
Sponsored by El Pomar Institute for Innovation and
Commercialization (EPIIC)
4 Welcome to the 3rd annual Mountain Lion Research Day.
There are two major objectives for the Mountain Lion Research Day:
1. To allow UCCS faculty to become better acquainted with the research being conducted by colleagues at the University with the hope of stimulating cross-campus collaborations.
2. To introduce potential partners in the Pikes Peak region to the research happening at UCCS. As a "regional" university, it behooves UCCS researchers to engage with entities in Colorado Springs. UCCS is important to the future growth of Southern Colorado in many ways, not the least of which is by being a vibrant research university providing support for the companies who are already here or who may relocate here.
Research Day is a showcase of projects across the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus. Thanks to all faculty, students, and staff involved. Let me take this opportunity to greet you. Have a great and productive day. Thank you for participating in Mountain Lion Research Day.
Dr. Michael Larson
Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and
Innovation
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Key to Abstract Numbers Table
Code No. Category Discipline
2.01 Business Accounting
2.02 Business Business Administration
2.03 Business Business Communication
2.04 Business Business Law
2.05 Business Finance
2.06 Business Human Resource Management
2.07 Business Information Systems
2.08 Business International Business
2.09 Business Management
2.10 Business Marketing
2.11 Business Operations & Tech Management
2.12 Business Professional Golf Management
2.13 Business Quantitative Methods
2.14 Business Sport Management
3.01 Education Counseling & Human Services
3.02 Education Curriculum
3.03 Education Leadership
3.04 Education Special Education
3.05 Education Professional Teacher Education
4.01 Engineering & Applied Sci Computer Science
4.02 Engineering & Applied Sci Computer Security
4.03 Engineering & Applied Sci Electrical Engineering
4.04 Engineering & Applied Sci Game Design and Development
4.05 Engineering & Applied Sci Mechanical Engineering
4.06 Engineering & Applied Sci Space Operations
5.01 Letters, Arts & Sciences Anthropology
5.02 Letters, Arts & Sciences Biology and Biochemistry
5.03 Letters, Arts & Sciences Chemistry
5.04 Letters, Arts & Sciences Communication
5.05 Letters, Arts & Sciences Economics
5.06 Letters, Arts & Sciences English
5.07 Letters, Arts & Sciences Energy Science
5.08 Letters, Arts & Sciences Geography & Environmental Studies
5.09 Letters, Arts & Sciences Geology
5.10 Letters, Arts & Sciences Gerontology
5.11 Letters, Arts & Sciences History
5.12 Letters, Arts & Sciences Journalism
5.13 Letters, Arts & Sciences Languages and Culture
5.14 Letters, Arts & Sciences Library Science
5.15 Letters, Arts & Sciences Mathematics
5.16 Letters, Arts & Sciences Philosophy
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Code No. Category Discipline
5.18 Letters, Arts & Sciences Political Science
5.19 Letters, Arts & Sciences Psychology
5.20 Letters, Arts & Sciences Sociology
5.21 Letters, Arts & Sciences Sports & Leisure Studies
5.22 Letters, Arts & Sciences VAPA-Art
5.23 Letters, Arts & Sciences VAPA-Theatre
5.24 Letters, Arts & Sciences VAPA-Music
5.25 Letters, Arts & Sciences Women’s & Ethnic Studies
6.01 Nursing & Health Sciences Nursing
6.02 Nursing & Health Sciences Health Sciences
7.01 School of Public Affairs Criminal Justice
7.02 School of Public Affairs Public Administration
8.01 National Institute of Science,
Space, and Security Centers (NISSSC)
Center for Homeland Security (CHS)
8.02 National Institute of Science,
Space, and Security Centers (NISSSC)
Center for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (CSTEME/PIPES)
8.03 National Institute of Science,
Space, and Security Centers (NISSSC)
Center for Space Studies (CSS)
8.04 National Institute of Science,
Space, and Security Centers (NISSSC)
Trauma, Health and Hazards Center (THHC)
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Business
Accounting 2.01
Business Administration 2.02
02.02.01 Factors Affecting Group Functioning and Group Performance Kokila Vasu, student, MBA
Dr.Cathy Claiborne, faculty advisor, MBA
In a group learning system, there may be one member who displays a high level of interest and diligence, while there may be others who are not as forth-coming or display free-riding behavior. Therefore group learning systems demand an effective measurement technique to determine individuals’ contributions to the group’s collaboration and output. With the increase in online courses, the importance of accurately measuring individual contributions in a group setting cannot go unnoticed. This study uses a peer evaluation form as the primary instrument for data collection. The dimensions considered for this study include interest, enthusiasm, punctuality , quality of contribution, collaboration, commitment, creativity, volunteerism, dependability, quantity of work, communication, leadership and conflict resolution. The study examines how to effectively measure these factors, how these factors contribute to the group functioning and how these factors contribute to group performance.
Business Communications 2.03 Business Law2.04
Finance 2.05
Human Resource Management 2.06 International Business 2.08
Management 2.09 Marketing 2.10
Operations and Tech Management 2.11 Professional Golf Management 2.12 Quantitative Methods 2.13
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Education
Counseling and Human Services 3.01 Special Education 3.04
Curriculum in Education 3.02 Professional Teacher Education 3.05 Leadership 3.03
03.03.01 Student Affairs in Higher Education Robert Wonnett (staff)
The word place is used to describe a physical location in the Time, Place, and Manner provision of the Public Forum Doctrine. This research supplements public fora case law by presenting visual representations of these places. The purpose of this research is to broaden understanding the Public Forum Doctrine by creating a Campus Place Public Forum Typology of campus places judicially interpreted as public forum categories. The Typology was developed to analyze, clarify and compare the places according to features of form, use, meaning and access. This research supplements public fora case law by identifying, describing, and for the purposes of the Auraria campus creating a visual representation of the campus place-types as public fora on higher education campuses. The Typology poster is used to illustrate and transform the abstract concept of Public Forum Doctrine into concrete descriptions of physical locations, which court judges interpret as public fora. Further, the Typology is supplemented by photographic and other descriptive representations to provide a visual representation of campus place-types that have been classified as public fora on higher education campuses.
03.03.02 Campus Activities at UCCS and Comprehensive Look through Current Students Mitch Karstens (staff) Office of Student Activities and College of Education Research
Dr. Sylvia Martinez, faculty advisor, Education
What is UCCS doing in student activities and are they successful? For this capstone project questions were asked to UCCS students regarding satisfaction and outlook on campus activities here at UCCS.
03.03.03 It’s All in the Book: Graduate Student Perspectives of CAS Amanda Koback, graduate student, Education
Megan Woods, student, Education
Dr. Sylvia Martinez, faculty advisor, Education
This program presents select findings from a program evaluation conducted at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS) involving student perspectives in the Student Affairs in Higher Education (SAHE) graduate degree program. Using the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) as a guide to analyze the respondents’ understandings of the importance of professional standards, evidence indicates understanding of CAS is mixed, yet seen as a foundational guide to
professional practice.
03.03.04 Cognitive Apprenticeships in University Writing Centers Charity Peak, graduate student, Education
Dr. John Weathers, faculty advisor, Education
Writing center practitioners have attempted to locate a theory for their work, yet no specific model has been identified to provide administrators with a framework for structuring their practice. Using a qualitative research design, this study explored to what extent one educational theory, the Cognitive Apprenticeship Model (CAM), explains how writing center tutors guide students to improve their writing. Results suggested that all components of the CAM were being
9 utilized in face-to-face writing center sessions, but tutors did not necessarily express
metacognition of the educational strategies being used. Furthermore, the CAM did not represent the true picture of writing center philosophy and practice. Hence, the Writing Center Coaching Model (WCCM) was developed to better describe how tutoring sessions in the writing center progress. The WCCM offers a comprehensive educational theory to support existing writing center practice as well as future tutor training efforts.
03.05.01 Military Career Transition: An Evaluation of Troops to Teachers Counseling Practices and Influences on Participant Withdrawal
Meghan Stidd, staff, Education
The Troops to Teachers (TTT) program is a proven source of quality teachers. As of July 2010, 48,048 current and former military members have registered for the program. Of those
registered, 18,874 have withdrawn, resulting in a withdraw rate of approximately 39 percent. While studies have been conducted regarding why students drop out of teacher licensure programs, the large percentage of military member withdrawing from TTT has yet to be examined. Results indicate age, level of education, and financial assistance received as significant predictors of participant withdrawal.
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Engineering and Applied Science
Computer Science 4.01 Computer Security 4.02
Electrical and Computer Engineering 4.03
04.03.01 Terahertz Technology for Military and Commercial Applications Dr. Heather Hoyoung Song, faculty, ECE
The terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum (0.1 – 10 THz) is relatively unexplored compared to the other regions of the spectrum including microwave, X-ray, and infrared. Potential applications for terahertz abound. These include detecting hazardous chemicals, cancer cells, and hidden weapons. However the critical roadblock to full exploitation of the terahertz band is the lack of compact, powerful ( > 100 mW) coherent terahertz radiation sources. In order to address the above needs, we propose to investigate a novel terahertz radiation source based on a high-order harmonic gyrotron interaction. The device circuit dimension that makes use of the gyrotron interaction can be larger compared to the current state-of-the-art terahertz devices. Therefore, it can provide significantly higher power and efficiency. The device takes advantage of the concept that in harmonic devices the magnetic field requirement is reduced by a factor of s (harmonic number) so that the magnetic field can be supplied by a lightweight periodic permanent magnet instead of a bulky solenoid magnet. This offers a new solution and significant promise for lighter and more practical terahertz systems for various applications. A large orbit electron gun and beam forming system for the terahertz device have been designed. Analytical calculations along with simulations were carried out to determine the axial velocity spread, the velocity ratio, the Larmor radius, and the guiding center radius. Beam parameters and electron gun configuration for the terahertz device will be presented.
04.03.02 High Power Broadband Amplifier for Radar Applications Dr. Heather Hoyoung Song, faculty, ECE
A compact and lightweight S-band 1 kW traveling-wave tube (TWT) is being developed for microwave power module (MPM) radar applications. The S-band MPM provides a tenfold peak power increase compared to the currently available ones. Circuit characteristics including interaction impedance, phase velocity, power, and gain of the TWT were predicted using large signal code. Design of electron gun, periodic permanent magnet, and collector is complete. The helix circuit has been fabricated and is ready to be tested.
04.03.03 Modeling of Lithium-ion Batteries Jim Lee, student, ECE
Dr.Gregory Plett, faculty advisor, ECE
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are used in electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf. Our goal is to develop reduced-order, physics based, models of lithium-ion batteries that can be used by simple controllers to monitor battery health and extend battery life. Well-known mathematical models of lithium-ion cells were developed years ago. These models include multiple coupled partial differential equations, which makes it impractical to use them with a real time controller. Additionally, the standard equations do not model the degradation that occurs over the life of the cell. Our research is focused on incorporating aging mechanisms into the battery model and using simplified models. With better estimation of the internal physics of the cell, a controller can extend the life of the battery.
11 04.03.04 Model Predictive Control of the Magnetic Levitation System
Hugh Shane, student, ECE
Dr.Gregory Plett, faculty advisor, ECE
The Magnetic Levitation System (MagLev) is a bench top system that provides students of control system design an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in developing control systems for a complex, real-world device. Model Predictive Control (MPC) is a relatively new
development in control system design which is demonstrably superior, in a number of respects, to earlier approaches. This presentation demonstrates the performance of an MPC-based MagLev controller in comparison to controllers based on earlier technologies.
04.03.05 Theory and Experiment of a Ka-band Klopfenstein Tapered Transformer Waveguide for Helix TWT
Liza Marie Resley, student, ECE Dr.Heather Song, faculty advisor, ECE
It is often necessary to interface two components with an entirely different impedance level. In such cases, it is necessary to employ a multi-section transformer. But instead of discrete number of sections, the line can be a continuously tapered line. This report discusses the design methodology of a
Klopfenstein tapered transformer waveguide for Ka-band Helix TWT. The experimental design and modeling was carried out using Ansoft HFSS, which is a 3-D electromagnetic field simulator. The performance of the Klopfenstein tapered transformer waveguide has been shown to be optimum in the sense that the reflection coefficient magnitude in the passband yields minimum matching sections. Similarly, for a maximum reflection coefficient specification in the passband, the Klopfenstein tapered transformer yields minimum matching sections. Two versions of the Klopfenstein tapered transformer waveguide have been investigated. The first version includes a segmented transmission line into several number of sections to create a piecewise continuous taper. The second version includes a “smoothed out” transmission line of the segmented version to create the continuous taper. The return loss and insertion loss of the Klopfenstein tapered transformer has been discussed. The return loss characteristic gives the information about the difference between the incident and reflected signal, while the insertion loss characteristic gives the signal loss across the transmission line. The proposed design achieved a return loss that is better than -20dB.
04.03.06 Fabrication, Packaging and Characterization of Ferroelectric Capacitor for DC-DC Converter Circuits
Kelsey Thorson, student, ECE Dr.T.S. Kalkur, faculty advisor, ECE
This experiment was performed to create a ferroelectric device to use in DC-DC converter circuits. The goal was to create one entire patterned silicon wafer and to then break it up into smaller wafers to package for many different uses. This experiment solved the problem of creating many devices and not wanting to damage a small part of the wafer when trying to use it in a larger circuit. This problem was solved by hours of work in the lab to build the devices. The first step was to create the device in the clean room. This began with a large silicon wafer that was patterned, etched with UV and ions, coated with Platinum, and another layer was etched to create an overlap allowing for capacitance. The wafer was then split up and tested to ensure capacitance. Once devices were found to work, the device was packed to allow for larger use. This resulted in several different packages to use, which was the original goal for the building of the devices. We also present the characteristics of the device before and after packaging.
Acknowledgement: This participant in this project was supported under NSF Scholarship project.
12 04.03.07 A Circuit-Based Approach for the Compensation of Self-Heating-Induced Errors in Bipolar Integrated Circuit Comparators
Kyle Webb, student, ECE
Dr.T.S. Kalkur, faculty advisor, ECE
Voltage comparator circuits are common integrated circuit (IC) building blocks found in ICs used in a variety of applications, including test and measurement instruments, wireline communication systems, and data converters. High-performance comparators are often fabricated in high-bandwidth bipolar processes, which typically utilize trench-isolation to provide electrical isolation between transistors. Trench isolation also provides a high level of thermal isolation between devices, resulting in circuits that are very susceptible to the effects of self-heating. Self-heating-induced offset voltages occur due to signal-dependent temperature differentials between nominally-matched devices. In linear circuits, self-heating effects manifest themselves as slow thermal tails, while in digital circuits self-self-heating results in timing errors. Because the output of a comparator circuit is a digital signal, self-heating of the transistors in the comparator results in data-dependent jitter on the output signal. Though techniques exist for the compensation of heating effects in purely linear or purely digital circuits, the compensation of self-heating-induced errors in comparator circuits presents a particular challenge due to the inherently mixed-signal nature of comparators – comparator inputs are analog, their outputs are digital, and the nature of the transition between the two domains is a function of the input signal. This research seeks to develop a circuit-based approach, independent of process or layout, for the compensation of self-heating effects in integrated circuit bipolar comparators.
04.03.08 Practical Volterra Equalizers for Wideband Satellite Communications with TWTA Nonlinearities
Jerry Malone, student, ECE
Dr. Mark Wickert, faculty advisor, ECE
In this poster we consider the performance of Volterra filters in canceling the severe nonlinear amplitude and phase distortions caused by traveling wave tube (TWT) high power amplifiers (HPAs, TWTAs) typically used on many legacy satellite communication systems. The nonlinear nature of Volterra filters would seem to make them a natural choice for canceling intersymbol interference (ISI) resulting from these distortions. Preliminary results of simulation studies using QPSK with up to 5th-order adaptive Volterra kernels filter are presented. The practical aspect of this work is that we would like to achieve good performance while reducing computational complexity, ultimately making efficient implementation on an FPGA feasible. It was found that an LMS adaptive Volterra filter offered significant ISI reduction only at relatively high SNRs ~25 dB), while at lower (and more typical) SNRs, improvement was only marginal, as noise tended to dominate the LMS algorithm. Adding a 5th-order Volterra kernel to the linear and 3rd-order LMS kernels offered negligible improvement in performance over the linear and 3rd-3rd-order kernels alone.
04.03.09 High Quality Digital Audio Experiments for a Signal Processing First Course Dr. Mark Wickert, faculty , ECE
In this poster we provide the details of a final project in audio signal processing, used in a signal
processing first course taught to second year ECE students. High quality audio signal processing covers a range of applications from the musical recording studio, musical performance, home theatre, home stereo, car stereo system, or even a personal audio player. The design/build/test aspects of the project are
centered on shelving and peaking filters for channel equalization, and reverberation and flanging for audio special effects. Listening is an integral part of the experience. The project also introduces the students to graphical user interface design and interactive solution techniques. Feedback from student teams has been very positive, especially the listening tests.
13 04.03.10 Digital Communication with Jamming Experiments for a Signal Processing First Couse Dr. Mark Wickert, faculty , ECE
In this poster we provide the details of a final project in digital communications, used in a signal
processing first course taught to second year ECE students. Simple nulling filters are used to minimize a sinusoidal jamming signal. The students have already learned about an FIR nulling filter, the placement of zeros on the unit circle, and the frequency response. In the filter design the students learn that the filter also removes a portion of the signal, and that increases the probability of making a bit error when noise is present. An IIR notch filter works well too, but it has parameters that are sensitive to coefficient
quantization. Jammer frequency error is another constraint. The students thus find themselves in the midst of a constrained optimization problem. Students have enjoyed this project, and in particular are very eager to strive for the best bit error probability (BEP) performance.
04.03.11 Dielectric Waveguide Antennas for Millimeter-Wave Applications Chin Chich Hsu, student, ECE
Dr.Heather Song, faculty advisor, ECE
Millimeter-wave antennas are required for future advanced compact millimeter-wave
applications, including wireless local-area networks (WLANS) and cable-television (CATV). Particularly, dielectric waveguide antennas are promising due to their ability to achieve low side-lobe levels, low loss, and higher spatial scan capability which will allow the realization of compact and cost-effective millimeter-wave systems. The operating concept of dielectric waveguide antennas for indoor use is based on a sec 2 0 type radiation pattern in the elevation plane. Evaluations of the millimeter-wave dielectric antennas were performed employing a 3-D electromagnetic wave simulator, HFSS (high frequency structure simulator). Characteristics of the dielectric waveguide antenna including gain, directivity, radiation efficiency, and antenna dimensions were optimized. Analysis and simulation results of the millimeter-wave dielectric waveguide antenna will be presented.
Mechanical Engineering 4.05
04.05.01 Sustainability Through Microscale Physics Julie Horvath, student, MAE
Dr. Rebecca Webb, faculty advisor, MAE
Currently, solar thermal energy collectors are used to produce electricity by concentrating sunlight on a fluid filled tube known as a heat collection element (HCE). The fluid inside the HCE is then used as a heat source for a conventional steam turbine power plant. Preliminary experimental and numerical investigations have demonstrated an increase in radiative heat transfer when microscale features are added to the outer surface of an HCE. The current study focuses on different surface structures, specifically rectangular microchannels of varying aspect ratios, triangular microchannels and hohlraum-like features. These geometries were evaluated for five angles of incidence between 0° and 20°. The results and how their implementation into current solar thermal collection can begin mitigating our dependence on fossil fuels are presented.
04.05.02 Systems Biology Approaches to Modeling and Simulation of Apoptotic Pathways Zamawang Almemar, student, MAE
Dr. Ken Lauderbaugh, faculty advisor, MAE
The vision and approach of this project is the utilization of modeling, analysis, and control tools for complex cell communication and regulation. This novel approach results in dramatically better methods to develop and evaluate new medical treatments and diagnostic modalities. It is also applied to apoptosis, metabolism, and neural systems.
14 04.05.03 Microchannel Radiation Shape Factors
Allen Boartfield, student, MAE
Dr. Rebecca Webb, faculty advisor, MAE
Currently, solar thermal energy collectors are used to produce electricity by concentrating sunlight on a fluid filled tube known as a heat collection element (HCE). The fluid inside the HCE is then used as a heat source for a conventional steam turbine power plant. Experimental data has demonstrated an increase in radiative heat transfer when microscale features are added to the outer surface of an HCE. The current study focuses on development of an analytical model to support the experimental data collected. The study shows that direct absorption and emission remain the same when microscale features are added to an HCE leaving differences in heat transfer to secondary absorption and emission.
04.05.04 Sputtering Simulation of Transition Metals…and Beyond Peter Szyjka, student, MAE
Dr.Andrew Ketsdever, faculty advisor, MAE
KALYPSO and SRIM are simulation packages used to study sputtering (recoil and ejection of surface and subsurface atoms resulting from ion or neutral particle impact on surfaces) yields of various elements. My research objective is to computationally and visually characterize the surface of a neutrally-charged-particle sputtered surface.
Previously, doping (implantation) of elemental Silicon and various compounds with high energy (`10^6, 10^7 eV) ions such as Boron+ has been used to improve semiconductor performance. Charged particle accelerators used for this purpose are well known. The like-charge deflection of accumulated like-charged projectiles on the surface and “long” ion neutralization times however, restrict the accuracy of the implantation process. Neutral particles are envisioned as a possible way forward for this and other possible applications.
Fusion reactors suffer from plasma contamination by sputtered low energy particles that can also damage containment surfaces.
Currently, most neutral particle accelerators are restricted to low energies, (1-10 eV)*. Research has concentrated on high-energy charged particle analysis. This region is where most “electronic stopping” (slowing of charged particles due to inelastic collisions in solids involving electron energy-level jumps and other phenomena ) research is also conducted since this is the implantation arena. Low energy collisions involve the combination of both electronic and “nuclear” (elastic collision) stopping and the relevant potentials (the energy of interaction between objects; here, charged or neutral particles and surface/subsurface atoms).
Both molecular dynamics (KALYPSO), and Monte Carlo codes (TRIM/SRIM) are presently
in use to simulate both high energy and low (>100 ev) energy sputtering. Neither are “good” (compared with experimental data ) at low projectile energies (<100 eV).
To understand the low energy sputtering process, further research should include both the nuclear and electronic stopping (inelastic collisions) and the potentials in the low energy region. * Data from laboratory experiments, using neutral particle projectile energies from “low” to beyond ~1keV, impacting transition metal surfaces are a basis for comparison to computational results.
04.05.05 Computational Modeling of Coated Microbubbles: Applications in Biomedicine Paola Genao, student, MAE
Dr. Michael Calvisi, faculty advisor, MAE
Contrast agents are microscopic bubbles that are stabilized with a coating of lipid or polymer and are commonly used in the circulatory system to enhance tissue contrast in ultrasound imaging.
15 Currently, contrast agents are being explored for other purposes such as intravenous drug
delivery, treatment of cardiovascular diseases, tumor destruction, and gene therapy. However, the dynamic interaction of contrast agents with ultrasound must be better understood before utilizing them in medical applications. This research involves the development of a
computational model of contrast agents based on Ordinary Differential Equations, and explores the effects of the shell properties (e.g., radius, stiffness) and ultrasound field on the bubble dynamics. Use of this model can improve the utilization of contrast agents in a wide range of new medical applications.
04.05.06 Thermal Simulation of Tissue Welding Joseph Griebel, student, MAE
Dr .Jim Stevens, faculty advisor, MAE
Advancements in laser technology have been beneficial in developing numerous fields. The medical field has not been immune to this trend. For decades, the precision offered by lasers has been utilized in highly technical surgeries. Recently, lasers have been further utilized in the heating of organic tissue. This heating technique can be used in several different procedures, including the removal of cancerous tumors via hyperthermia treatment as well as tissue soldering and welding.
A current hindrance of these technologies lies in the uncertainty of the heat transfer present within the tissue. While lasers offer unparalleled initial precision, post irradiation heat transfer through organic tissue is still largely unpredictable. Due to the complex, non-linear nature of this heat transfer, it is difficult to develop a singular mathematical model that can ably describe the transfer of heat through living organic tissue. Factors such as tissue heterogeneity, blood perfusion, and heating duration and strength complicate mathematical calculations and predictions.
This presentation presents the results from attempting to model this complex heat transfer via mathematical modeling. The research has been aided by utilizing TAK 2000lite computer software, which uses a numerical solver to model heat transfer.
04.05.07 Kinetics of Human Locomotion Matt Pederson, student, MAE
Michael Suppes, student, MAE Dr .Steve Tragesser, faculty, MAE
This research aims at developing physics-based models of human motion (e.g. walking, running, raquet/club swing) and using computer optimization to a) improve performance in elite athletes and b) develop new designs for sport equipment and prosthetics. With regard to performance, data collected from sensors on athletes can be compared to computer models to suggest possible corrections in technique. With regard to equipment design, the computer models can be used to test the effectiveness of new or altered equipment designs, or prosthetics for Special Olympians. The current research of this new initiative entails a simple model of multiple rigid links with torque actuators at the joints. An optimal control algorithm is used to achieve desired behavior (e.g. maximum height on a jump) with minimal control effort.
04.05.08 Energy Deposition in a Neutral Gas via Optical Lattices Barry Cornella, student, MAE
Dr Andrew Ketsdever, faculty, MAE
Traditional methods of creating high-temperature, high-speed gas flows generally consist of ionizing the gas in order to accelerate it (through an acceleration) grid and thus re-neutralization is required. An alternative concept involves the use of optical lattices to directly accelerate and heat a gas sample.
16 Optical lattices are comprised electric potential wells formed by optical interference patterns (in a
dielectric medium) from two counter propagating lasers. These potential wells can be used to manipulate the surrounding gas molecules through the gas-electric field interaction. Optical lattices have been used extensively in atomic manipulations in low-temperature applications. The goal of this research is to show experimentally that non-resonant optical lattice potential wells can be used to deposit energy (i.e. heat) a neutral gas. The creation of such flows has numerous applications, few more significant than in
hypersonic research. Investigations into high-speed, high-temperature flows can lead to improved numerical models by providing a better understanding of chemical processes and rates (prevalent in hypersonic combustion), high-temperature gas-gas and gas-surface interactions, and micro-scale mixing 04.05.09 Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy in Water-Vapor Temperature
Measurement
Mark M. Poppler, student, MAE Dr Andrew Ketsdever, faculty, MAE
Tunable Diode Laser Absorption Spectroscopy (TDLAS) is an advanced remote sensing technique based on laser absorption in a specific gas, in this case water-vapor. The method works by measuring specific internal energy gas transitions, resulting in highly accurate
measurements often not possible by other means. The system uses an acutely tunable distributed feedback InGaAs laser around ~1398nm, and tunes between two specific wavelengths where water-vapor molecules form absorption bands by transitioning rotational quantum numbers. The system was validated on a reference cell with a known temperature and water vapor content, as well as in ambient lab air. The system will next be applied to take novel temperature readings in a microwave generated plasma and a laser lattice, two experimental propulsive heating methods which to date lack experimental validation of their effected temperature increases.
04.05.10 Performance of Low Reynolds Number Nozzles Wayne Black, student, MAE
Dr Andrew Ketsdever, faculty, MAE
The comparison of 5 different nozzle designs is presented. The characteristics at low-thrust and low-Reynolds numbers are being investigated analytically and experimentally to determine the nozzle geometry effect on thruster performance. The flow equations were solved by means of finite difference approximations and numerical results are being gathered for Reynolds numbers between 10 and 400. Experimental testing is taking place on a nano-Newton thrust stand in a vacuum chamber to verify the numerical results. Setup equipment includes electrostatic combs for calibration, damping magnets, and a linear variable differential transducer. Gathered data includes thrust, stagnation pressure, ambient pressure, and mass flow rate. The results should allow for the determination of the optimal low-Reynolds number nozzle geometry.
04.05.11 Experimentally Improving Solar Radiation Absorption in a Heat Collection Element Through the Use of Surface Microchannels
Gabriel Staples, student, MAE Dr Rebecca Webb, faculty, MAE
Solar energy is an abundant yet scarcely used natural resource. One of the primary factors hindering the progress of solar technologies and the widespread use of these systems are their high cost and low efficiency. One method of harnessing the sun’s energy is through the use of concentrated solar power systems, which heat a working fluid flowing through a heat element. What if this heat element could be made to provide 30%-60% better efficiencies to today’s systems? This is the goal of the research in progress, by focusing on increasing the radiative heat
17 absorption into the fluid within the heat element. This is done by means of corrugating the surface of the test piece heat element and using theory and experimental data to determine how much the net radiative heat gain increases. The shape, size, and orientation of the grooves will be varied and evaluated using a 1000 W quartz tungsten halogen light bulb, which has a peak radiation in the 400 to 2400 nm wavelength range (solar radiation has a peak radiation of about 500 nm). Past research indicates that in the infrared spectrum (~3-5 µm), heat flux increases of 60% are possible. These increases are due to the extra reflections within the microchannels, which allow absorbtivity to be increased at a greater rate with increased surface area than emissivity, thus creating a more efficiently-absorbing heat element.
04.05.12 MIND Studios
Jesse McClure, Senior Professional Research Assistant, MIND Studios, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dr. Michael Larson, faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Jason Sieber, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering David Hills, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Terry Garrett, student, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Luke LaBella, student, MIND Studios, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
As full service product design and prototyping shop housed within the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, MIND Studios is a place where clients can get help taking their ideas from paper to production.
MIND Studios houses full scale design and prototyping capabilities with experienced engineering and designers on staff capable of providing the expertise and resources required to take a new design, research need, or product line to the next level. In house prototyping
capabilties include plastic rapid protyping, CNC machining, custom laser cutting and engraving, and prototype electronics fabrication.
04.05.13 Novel Uses of Lasers in Surgery
Dr. Michael Larson, Faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dr. Valmiki Sooklal, Faculty, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Jesse McClure, Senior Professional Research Assistant, MIND Studios, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
A potentital use of lasers in surgery is to fuse septal tissue membranes as an alternative to sutures or staples through the use of laser heating and pressure to induce protein denatruation and subsequent tissue fusion. Lasers have been used in would closure over the last 15 years with encouraging results; however, no commercial delivery systems are currently available. This is primarily due to two factors: requiring an inordinate amount of experience on the part of the operator, and attempting to achieve general applicability for multiple tissue systems. The current protoype device overcomes these barriers as it is tailored for the particular application of septal laser fusion, namely for the coaptation of mucoperichondrial membranes.
Lasers are also well suited in medical applcations when it is desirable to target tissues of only one particular type. One example is in the use of laser to treat severe chronic asthma. Chronic asthma attacks are the result of smooth muscle in the bronchial airways contracting. This muscular contraction restricts the airway which prevents easy breathing. Using specific laser wavelengths within the bronchial tubes, the smooth muscle can be selectively targeted. Irradiating the smooth muscle results in a reduction of the muscle mass, thereby limiting and possibly eliminating the potential for contraction. The end result is a reduction in the frequency and severity of asthmaattacks by the patient.
18
Letters, Arts, and Sciences
Anthropology 5.01
Biology and Biochemistry 5.02
05.02.01 Medical Marijuana, a Cure for Cancer Dr.Robert Melamede, faculty, Biology
Every vertebrate, from the time of conception till the time of death, literally has all body systems homeostatically regulated by endocannabinoids (marijuana-like compounds produced by the body). Illnesses are biochemical imbalances, failures of homeostasis. By being alive, all organisms suffer from the common biochemical imbalances that underlie aging and all age-related illness, including autoimmune, cognitive, cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancers. Over 600 peer reviewed articles show that numerous cancer types (lung, breast, prostate, glioma, thyroid, leukemia, lymphoma, basil cell carcinoma, melanoma, etc) are killed by cannabinoids in tissue culture and animal studies. Furthermore, cannabinoids inhibit the biochemical pathways involved in metastasis and drug resistance. The question that naturally arises is “Why is a plant that inhibits aging, kills cancers, and whose activity is found in mother’s milk illegal?
Because federal and state governments have failed to implement marijuana policies that are reflective of modern scientific knowledge and thousands of years of medical history, the people have demanded, and gained access to this miraculous medicine through direct voting with the initiative process. In effect, marijuana clinical efforts are now in the hands of the people and the medical marijuana community. This poster provides dramatic photographic evidence of cannabis extracts curing basil-cell carcinoma via it’s topical application.
05.02.02 Soakin’ Up the Rays with Schizosaccharomyces pombe Lisa Durrenberger, student, Biology
Dr. Lisa Hines, faculty advisor, Biology
Recent research in science education emphasizes active learning and inquiry-based instructional methods as a means of incorporating research experiences into the standard undergraduate curriculum. A growing number of biology educators have successfully implemented inquiry-based biology laboratory courses and demonstrated the efficacy of this approach to enhance development of questioning and problem-solving skills, to increase opportunity for collaborative team planning and student-directed learning, and to promote increased student interest and enjoyment in lab courses.
We are working to emphasize inquiry-based methods in Biology 1210 by developing a guided inquiry-based research experience employing mutation and genetic screening in fission yeast S. pombe. Effectiveness will be assessed by measuring course completion rates, student retention rates, learning gains and enjoyment compared to traditional methods. The project will be transferable for use in community college curriculum and may be modified to benefit K-12 science instruction.
05.02.03 The Identification of Cytoplasmic Protein Interactions of Rad26 During Microtubule Stress
Zachary Krych, student, Biology
Dr. Tom Wolkow, faculty advisor, Biology
19 to occur during microtubule stress. However, the protein-protein interactions of Rad26 in the cytoplasm remains unknown. I will perform a pull down assay in order to isolate and identify these unknown proteins. The endogenous rad26 gene will be transformed to express a
Rad26/TAP Tag fusion protein allowing for isolation of Rad26 bound proteins. These proteins will be separated by SDS-PAGE and identified through mass spectrometry. The identification of these proteins will help reveal the role that Rad26 plays during microtubule stress. Several proteins are expected to be found that are involved in cellular morphology and polarity.
Chemistry 5.03
05.03.01 The Comparison and Evaluation of Equations of State Preston Williams, student, Chemistry
Charissa Corpus, student, Chemistry
Dr. James Eberhart, faculty advisor, Chemistry
Over the decades since its original development, the van der Waals equation of state (EOS) has undergone numerous empirical modifications of its attractive term in efforts to improve the accuracy of its description of fluid behavior. This EOS is compared here with five other equations that employ the van der Waals repulsive term combined with attractive terms that are modifications of those used by Berthelot, by Clausius, and by Redlick and Kwong. These six, two-parameter, cubic equations are compared with simple-fluid experimental behavior through the calculation of the critical compression factor, the second virial coefficient at the critical point, the Boyle temperature, the zero-pressure inversion temperature, and the Riedel factor. It is sometimes claimed that the most accurate two-parameter, cubic EOS is that of Redlich and Kwong. Our results tend to support this conclusion, although one of the new modifications presented here is also quite promising. The approach taken here to EOS selection provides some insight into how Redlich and Kwong might have originally developed their EOS and also
introduces students to the idea that some of the equations in chemistry are based on intuition and empiricism and do not necessarily have a theoretical foundation.
05.03.02 Development of “Green” Extraction Techniques for the Analysis of Diciofenac and Ibuprofen in Plants
Kristin Damian, student, Chemistry
Dr. Janel Owens, faculty advisor, Chemistry
There has been recent and sustained interest in determining the presence, transport, and fate of pharmaceuticals in environmental samples. Recent studies have established that human
pharmaceuticals can be taken up by plants, including crops. In this study, the aim is to determine if the pharmaceuticals ibuprofen and diclofenac, which find wide use in human and veterinary medicine, can bioaccumulate in plants. In a preliminary study, a solid-phase extraction technique was optimized to yield the best recovery of the pharmaceuticals using a UV-Vis
Spectrophotometer. Spinach was chosen as a model plant to develop a protocol for extracting the pharmaceuticals using ‘green’ chemistry techniques prior to analysis with high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detection. Future research includes spiking
hydroponically-grown lettuce, spinach and green onions with the two pharmaceuticals to study how application of pharmaceuticals (through leaves or roots) can affect bioaccumulation patterns of these two model pharmaceutical compounds.
05.03.03 Capillary Electrophoresis with UV-Vis Detection Sarah Gehrke, student, Chemistry
20 Kyle Culhane, Chemistry
Randy Robinson, Chemistry-Biology Dr. David Weiss, faculty advisor, Chemistry
The neurotransmitters that regulate the central and peripheral nervous systems such as serotonin (5-HT), dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and epinephrine (E), have been linked to
neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. However, the relationship between these neurotransmitter concentrations and diseases is not well understood, particularly regarding how these compounds relate to each other in disease states. A technique that offers rapid, non-invasive, and quantitative analysis of a panel of these neurotransmitters could aid physicians by contributing a valuable tool to the study of these diseases. Traditionally, liquid chromatography (LC) has been utilized for the quantification of these low concentration neurotransmitters, but analysis is slow, expensive, and often yields poor resolution. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a complementary technique that, through its selectivity of charged species, yields higher peak efficiencies and is environmentally friendly due to its minimal use of organic solvents. This paper will present a rapid method to identify and quantitate all four of these neurotransmitters as a panel in human urine. First-morning urine samples were collected from a healthy adult male. The urine was adjusted to pH 5.4, and solid-phase extraction (SPE) was used for sample clean-up and preconcentration before capillary electrophoresis. Capillary electrophoresis with UV/Vis detection was used for analysis of urine samples with separation times of approximately 10 minutes. This research was supported by a Merck AAAS grant and the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs LAS Scholar Award.
05.03.04 Development of “Green” Extraction Techniques for the Analysis of Chlorogenic Acid in Peaches
Kiley Jones, student, Chemistry Eric Mobley, student, Chemistry
Dr. Janel Owens, faculty advisor, Chemistry
Recent studies have indicated that chlorogenic acid, a secondary plant metabolite found widely in fruits and vegetables, may have important health benefits. It was recently shown that peaches and plums contain significant concentrations in their skins. The goal of this work is to develop a ‘green’ method for efficient extraction and analysis of this compound from fruits with minimum waste. In this method, microwave extraction and solid phase extraction (SPE) are used prior to analysis by high performance liquid chromatography with UV/Vis detection at 326 nm. In preliminary studies, the extraction by SPE was optimized to achieve recoveries of 112.8% a 10 µg/mL chlorogenic acid spike (n = 3). Future work will be directed towards analysis of chlorogenic acid in organically versus conventionally grown peaches and peach products.
05.03.05 Experimental Determination of Ligand Binding Constants to Hexokinase Isozymes Jimi C Miller, student, Chemistry
Dr.Wndy Haggren, faculty advisor, Chemistry Dr.Sonja Braun-Sand, faculty advisor, Chemistry
Hexokinase phophorylates glucose to glucose-6-phosphate and is the first step in glycolysis. This makes hexokinase, HK, an attractive target for developing new drugs to inhibit HK because they could reduce glycolytic activity of cancer cells and possibly induce apoptosis. The binding constants of HK isozymes and ligands were determined to understand the structural differences as well as find a more potent HK inhibitor. Differential Scanning Calorimetry, DSC, was used to measure the denaturation temperature of yeast HK with varying ligand concentration in order to calculate the binding constant, Ka, of the enzyme and ligand. Isothermal Titration Calorimetry,
21 the enzyme and ligand. In the DSC experiments, the calculated Ka of glucose was 1.38 mM-1.
The Ka for glucose using ITC was determined to be 1.39 mM-1, but in comparison the average Ka
value for fructose was calculated to be 0.25 mM-1. Based on these results, glucose binds more tightly to yeast HK than fructose, which agrees well with literature values. Future work will use ITC to measure Kb for other substrates and inhibitors using human HK isozymes. These values
will be compared to computationally predicted values.
05.03.06 Synthesis and Characterization of Mono and Bimetallic Os(II) Complexes with Tridentate Ligands Dispridophenazine (drop’) and Tetrapyridylpyrazine (tppz)
Roberto Padilla, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry Preston Williams, student, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. Ronald Ruminiski, faculty advisor, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The synthesis, isolation and electrochemical, electronic absorption and NMR characterization of new Os(II) complexes is presented. The molecules are highly absorbing in the visible absorption spectrum. Electrochemical oxidations and reductions are shifted to reflect the more highly electron withdrawing character of the heterocyclic dpop’ ligand. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy also supports the purity and structure of the complex.
Communication 5.04
05.04.01 Analysis of Leadership Communication Karen Coyle, graduate student, Communication
Sherry Morreale, faculty advisor, Graduate School Dept of Communication
According to Harry Truman, getting people to do what they might not otherwise do and liking it, is the definition of true leadership (as cited by Collins, 2002, p.xi). We live in an era of propaganda marketing leadership techniques, where impression management seems to be more important than personal character, integrity, and substance. Yet, our country and its institutions are crying out for leaders. This triangulated preliminary study examines how leaders enable learning and motivate actions toward set results, through various successful and unsuccessful leadership communication methodologies. Along with literature reviewing the cultural divergence, narrative, dialogic, and rhetoric theories, this study highlights specific findings of recent studies, identifies prevalent research methodologies, touches on overall limitations, and explains the importance of leadership communication research. These objectives can help future leaders learn how to apply and understand the value of effective leadership communication skills ascertained from the successes and failures examined.
Economics 5.05 English 5.06
05.06.01 Beyond Home Remedy: Women, Medicine and Science Rebecca Laroche, faculty, English
Syrup of violets, plague water, a drink made from snails – these are some of the “healthy” recipes concocted by women in Shakespeare’s England that will be featured in this fascinating look at historic medicine. This exhibition highlights women at all levels of society—from the Countess of Kent and Lady Castleton to Hannah Woolley and Mrs. Anne Coates—who were known to practice medicine. Manuscript, text, and image from the Folger Shakespeare Library’s collection bring the work of these women to life, while natural history specimens and
instruments from the Smithsonian help to demonstrate the elaborate nature of the recipes women constructed and shared with one another.
Energy Science 5.07
22 05.08.01 The Neoliberal University: A Map
Nate Siebert, student, Geography and Environmental Studies
Dr. John Harner, faculty advisor, Geography and Environmental Studies
Some contemporary geographers argue that universities in the U.S. and the U.K. have become embedded in the neoliberal order. On the one hand, declining state funding makes universities increasingly reliant on federal and private-sector funding, arguably leaving universities
increasingly shaped by military and corporate interests. On the other hand, universities have become knowledge-factories, drawing profits for some from the labor and debt of others. What this means for the future of autonomous and critical knowledge-production remains to be seen. This case-study examines some of the processes and relationships that make for a neoliberal university. Geology 5.09 Gerontology 5.10 05.10.01 History 5.11 Journalism 5.12
Languages and Cultures 5.13 Library Science 5.14
Mathematics 5.15 Philosophy 5.16
Physics and Energy Science 5.17
05.17.01 Tunable Resonance Absorption of Light in a Chain of Gold Nanoparticles David A. Smith, student, Physics and Energy Science
Dr. Anatoliy Pinchuk, faculty advisor, Physics and Energy Science
Absorption of light by a linear chain of gold nanocylinders reveals two resonance peaks. The first peak is associated with the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) and the second additional blue-shifted peak is rationalized by the retarded electromagnetic coupling between the particles in the chain. The dipole electromagnetic coupling leads to constructive interference of light scattered by the particles and results in the additional resonance peak whose wavelength is equal to the inter-particle distance. The wavelength and intensity of the additional absorption peak can be tailored by controlling the inter-particle distance. 05.17.02 Multicolored Photoluminescence from Silver Nanoclusters for bio-imaging
Vira V. Kravets, student, Physics and Energy Science Kule Culhane, student Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. Anatoliy Pinchuk, faculty advisor, Physics and Energy Science
In terms of their small size, brightness and photostability, noble metal clusters hold the most promise as candidates for live cell imaging, competing semiconductor QDs , fluorescent proteins and small organic dyes. Similar to semiconductor QD’s, noble metal clusters have color tunable photoluminescence and exhibithigh quantum yield, which is a quantitative characteristic of the photoluminescence, representing the ratio of the number of photons emitted to number of photons absorbed by fluorophore. A wide absorbance range of a noble metal clusters enables the emission of multiple maxima excited with a narrow wavelength diapason, in other words, one color of excitation light results in multiple colors of emission. These superior properties allow metal clusters to compete with the best fluorophores available today. When applied to the problem of in vivo intercellular imaging, the nontoxic metal clusters offer advantages over the much larger sized semiconductors in terms of toxicity and ease of biological delivery.
05.17.03 Metamaterial Equipped Antenna with Improved Directivity Victor Gozhenko, staff, Physics and Energy Science
23 Dr. Anatoliy Pinchuk, faculty advisor, Physics and Energy Science
We studied experimentally the effect of a slab made from a mesh metamaterial on the directivity of an antenna placed near the slab. Measurements were performed in a frequency range near the plasma frequency of the metamaterial. Our experiments confirm previously reported slab effect on narrowing the main lobe of the antenna radiation pattern at operating frequencies near the slab’s plasma frequency. We explain the effect by the specific way the radiation emitted by an external source is bent on the boundaries of a metamaterial slab with index of refraction less than 1 and by the electromagnetic waves attenuation inside the slab. We predict that the frequency range in which the effect is pronounced has to be quite limited. Our results can be used in designing novel emitting and reception systems for which the spatial or frequency discrimination is an important requirement.
05.17.04 UCCS ROCKS-Ultra-Powerful Computer Cluster for Nanoparticle and Metamaterial Simulation and Computation
Jewell Hartman, student, Physics and Energy Science Travis Hunter, student, Physics and Energy Science James Vedral, student, Physics and Energy Science
Dr. Anatoliy Pinchuk, faculty advisor, Physics and Energy Science
UCCS ROCKS is a Linux-based ROCKS cluster distribution—a computer cluster designed for the Physics Department to aid in rapid ultra-powerful computational abilities—for a variety of uses within the Physics departments. Metamaterial simulations via HFSS, Discrete-Dipole Approximation, in addition to other tasks regarding different forms of data will now have computing efficiency with a high-powered cluster located in the UCCS Physics department nano-laboratory and built by top senior and graduate Physics students. UCCS ROCKS has computational power rivaling that of the Argonne national laboratory—the cluster used by UCCS through remote access previously. The cluster allows both remote access and
in-laboratory access. Multiple compute nodes and a head node service the cluster, with the capacity for future additions of compute nodes, thereby increasing its computing power. Built by UCCS, for use in UCCS, the UCCS ROCKS computing cluster will bring dramatic progress for the computational nanotechnology world, thereby building a bridge towards the future of nanotechnology and metamaterials.
05.17.05 Electrodynamic Coupling in Regular Arrays of Gold Nanocylinders James Vedral, student, Physics and Energy Science
Dr. Anatoliy Pinchuk, faculty advisor, Physics and Energy Science
This presentation addresses theoretically and experimentally the fundamental physical principles of electromagnetic coupling between noble metal nanoparticles regularly arranged on a quartz substrate. The distance between the particles varies in the d∼
SPR
λ
region in order to investigate transition from the electrostatic near-field to retarded mid-zone coupling between thenanoparticles in the chain. We analyze the distance dependence
λ
SPR(d) of the SPR peak positions for both the s- and p-polarizations of the incident light and compared experimental results with DDA simulations. It rationalizes some peculiarities of theλ
SPR(d) behavior by considering the influence of the interparticle coupling on the particle’s surface plasmon resonance.Political Science 5.18 Psychology 5.19
24 05.19.01Patterns of Communication: A Look Inside an Assisted Living Facility
Christina Vair, student, Psychology
Dr. Sara Qualls, faculty advisor, Psychology
Families of older adults maintain regular and meaningful communication with elders, but placement in a facility (e.g., Assisted Living/AL) may disrupt the frequency or meaning of such ties. An intervention designed to foster communication between family members and AL residents offers an opportunity to examine patterns of communication in such families. Links between communication and well-being may be important as AL residents are known to be at risk of depression and loneliness. This study assesses the impact of the Family Connection Service (FCS), designed to facilitate communication between AL residents and families. The FCS allows residents to send text or photos from a one-touch digital mailbox with staff
assistance to family emails. This poster describes the resident population, characteristics of one AL facility, and patterns of use of the FCS. A sample of 24 residents (67% of population) was recruited from a small, home-like Medicaid-funded facility (age range 48 to 94 years, M = 67.43,
SD = 13.34). Initial resident usage was high for 40% of residents, with 60% rarely using the service. Interviews collected information about perceived frequency of communication, network membership and closeness, and resident well-being. The same measures were also completed by primary family members (reporting on the elder) electronically. The present study examines resident and network members’ patterns of use, network size (range 2 to 13, M = 5.0, SD = 2.55), and measures of well-being. Findings are interpreted as demonstrating the acceptability and ease of use of the technology and value to residents and families.
05.19.02 Public sentiments on punishing juvenile offenders: Should juveniles who commit non-homicide offenses receive life sentences?
Andrew Evelo student, Psychology
Dr. Edie Greene, faculty advisor, Psychology
Sentencing of juvenile offenders is a controversial issue. The Supreme Court recently addressed the constitutionality of life sentences for juveniles who committed non-homicide offense.
Although the Court typically considers public opinion in 8th Amendment cases, to date no studies exist regarding the public’s views on this sentence. The present vignette study relied on the “ninth justice” paradigm to investigate public opinions regarding the appropriateness of life sentences for juveniles. Participants’ views were not influenced by the age of the offender, and a majority of respondents rejected a life sentence subsequent to a non-homicide offense for both juvenile and adult offenders.
05.19.03 Apologies affect mock jurors’ perceptions of a defendant Kristin Sturm, student, Psychology
Dr. Edie Greene, faculty advisor, Psychology
Apologies can be considered an admission of wrongdoing, but they can also be seen as a way for a person to take responsibility for his or her actions, which might be especially important in the courtroom. This study assessed participants’ perceptions of an apologetic defendant in a mock automobile negligence case. Findings suggest that observers’ feelings of sympathy and sadness for the defendant and perceptions of his remorse can be influenced by the strength of an apology. However, the strength of apology provided by the defendant did not affect the participants’ judgments of his negligence or their damage awards.
05.19.04 Preliminary Heritability Estimates of Executive Functions in Children Hannah Kovach, student, Psychology
25 Sarah Kovach, student, Psychology
Dr. Fred Coolidge, faculty advisor, Psychology
Executive functions (EFs), a selective group of cognitive processes that originate in the frontal lobes of the brain, seem to be a core component of modern human thought (e.g., Coolidge & Wynn, 2010). While much previous research has focused on classic laboratory measures of EFs, the present study assessed the heritability of EFs in childhood (N = 374 twins) via a parental 44-item EF measure including social and emotional decision-making. Although multivariate structural equation modeling will be used to analyze the heritability of the 44-item EF measures in a future study, two classic methods of heritability were preliminarily used in this study to analyze the data, the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation coefficient for the monozygotic twins on the parental EF measure and Holzinger’s estimate of heritability
(Schonemann, 1993). The results indicated that EFs are highly heritable traits (83%).
05.19.05 Depression and Cognitive Functioning in Criminal Offenders Over a One Year Period Nicole Torrence, student, Psychology
Dr.Kelli Klebe, faculty advisor, Psychology
The effects of depression on cognitive functioning in inmates have not been established. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between changes in depression and cognitive functioning over time in inmates. It is hypothesized that inmates with more depression symptoms will have lower cognitive functioning at baseline. Additionally, if depression improves cognitive functioning will improve, if depression gets worse cognitive functioning will decline, and if depression stays the same cognitive functioning will stay the same over one year. Male inmates (N=167) were given neuropsychological and psychological well-being measures, every three months for one year. We used the Beck Hopelessness scale, a 20-item measure of depression; the Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS), an 11-item cognitive screen; and the Trail Making Test (TMT) parts A and B completion times. Bivariate correlations assessed the relationship between depression and cognitive functioning. The BHS was negatively related to the SLUMS (p <.01) and the BHS was positively related to the TMT parts A (p <.01) and B (p <.05). Three 3x5 mixed design ANOVAs assessed cognitive functioning in inmates whose depression improved, stayed the same, and worsened over one year. All three groups
performance improved on TMT A, F(4, 672)=8.19, p<.001 and B, F(4, 656)=24.77, p<.001, and the SLUMS F(4, 688) = 29.10, p<.001, at the same rate. Results demonstrated that more
depression symptoms are related to lower cognitive functioning and cognitive functioning improves over one year regardless of changes in depression. These changes are likely due to practice effects.
05.19.06 Using Exercise to Reduce Depressive Symptoms and Increase Diabetes Self-care in Low Income Middle-aged and Older Adults
Brenna Renn, graduate student, Psychology Mary Steers, graduate student, Psychology Allison Jay, graduate student, Psychology Sarah Anderson, graduate student, Psychology Leilani Feliciano, faculty, Psychology
Depression and diabetes are both serious and common chronic illnesses, and past research has found an increased prevalence of depressive symptomatology in patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus. People with depression are less likely to engage in health-promoting behaviors such as exercise and healthy eating, which are crucial for diabetes management. The present study evaluated the effect of exercise on depressive symptoms and self-care behavior in middle-aged and older adults with diabetes.
